It's probably too early to tell right now, but given the election results and the country swinging hard away from the right, are diverse stories suddenly going to be "in" again? There's been lots of talk on Threads about how challenging things became generally for non-white authors, queer authors, etc. when publishing and every other industry retreated from diversity as soon as Trump came back into office, and now I'm seeing some chatter about how things might turn around. But I'm not sure I buy that! It feels like we'll never see a 2020/2021 level of investment in Black stories ever again, for example, but I've only been in the industry four years so I haven't seen enough cycles to understand how all this really works. So I guess I'm just curious, for those who've been around longer and have some wisdom to share, is there any reason to hope publishing will shift back with the political winds?

I know all of us can ever do is write the next thing and make it as good as we can and hope for the best (and I know I personally have an uphill battle regardless of the industry atmosphere since my sophomore novel flopped hard), but as a Black author I do find some value in at least understanding the moment we're in.

TL;DR: I went to query an agent who specifically requested epic fantasy, and she cited doorstop fantasy books that she wished she represented (books of upwards of 200k, some debut or first in a series with that count.) I went to submit, and it's capped at 150k (mine is 184k). She stated that she only recently switched to QueryManager, and so I reached out to the agency on Instagram to make sure that that was correct, that she meant to cap epic fantasy like that. They said they'd ask her, which they did, and said that SHE SAID I can just put my wordcount at 150k, but make sure it states the true wordcount in my query letter (which it does anyway.)

Now I am running into this with other agents where my book fits exactly what they are asking for; however, they cap it at extremely low numbers for epic fantasy: 120k, 150k, etc. So my question is, has anyone done what that agency told me to do above, put the cap limit, but state the true word count in my query letter just to get it through?

Was that agency just an outlier?

I keep wondering if I should just do it and see what happens. I have a very tight query letter and synopsis that I feel are succinct enough to justify the wordcount + prove I'm not overwriting.

Is this something the publisher requires, or is it just the standard practice? Would it be frowned upon or thought rude to not include an acknowledgments page in a novel?

I've been trying to get published for the last 20 years in the UK. I've written 5 books, completed courses at both Faber and Curtis Brown, but I get zero engagement from any of my submissions. I worry that, as an Asian author, publishers expect me to write "asian" stories. I don't, I write speculative fiction. At first I thought it was a quality issue, but from beta readers and the reports I've received from my courses, my book is objectively well written and structured. my submission pack is tight, and well honed (again with feedback and advice from agents and editors), so I ask you, having found the most appropriate agents for my books (genre and previous books published), I get zero buy in. Should I get a white pen name? Would that help? I don't know how much more I can do. any advice appreciated. If you know of agents looking for people of colour to represent, please let me know.

Sorry if this is dramatic, but I’m truly freaking out.

I am writing my first novel after a lifelong dream of becoming an author. I NOW KNOW THE ETHICAL IMPLICATIONS OF USING AI and I have not used it since. This is exactly what I used chat for:

1. I asked it what certain prefixes and suffixes mean, and I asked it for examples of prefixes and suffixes with certain meanings when I was developing a few names for characters and places. I did not have it generate names for me.

2. I asked it to describe a village from a video game, because I was curious what the stand out points might be to write about.

3. I gave it a brief description of my magic system and asked if I was ripping off an already existing one.

Every scene, every character description, character arc, plot point, piece of dialogue, etc is entirely my work. I have not even used grammarly or input any sentences into chat for feedback. Recently, I’ve been seeing very aggressive discourse on TikTok by freelance book editors about how if an author has used AI at ANY point for ANY reason, they will not work with you, nor will any big trad publishers.

My questions are-

1. Am I cooked? Do I need to completely abandon my book and start over with an entirely new concept and story line? I love this idea and feel very proud of it. AI had no part in it. I do not feel like this work is AI generated in any way, but am I too far gone? Considering my use of AI was so limited and not creative, am I still disqualified?

2. Could I just go back and completely change the prefixes/suffixes on the influenced names, and could I reimagine that one village’s description, and then consider my work free from AI?

Thanks in advance, please be kind, I already know I should not have touched it.

****POST UPDATE:

1. Some of y’all did not read the “be kind” portion of this message, I hope you learn to extend more grace in the future!

2. MOST of y’all were so generous and helpful with your answers! And for those that asked about my mental health, I have plans to get back on my medication, thank you!

Here’s what I’ve decided to do:

• Obviously, not use AI again :) which I’d already decided, but still.

• I’m not cooked, and I’m absolutely not abandoning my project or manuscript over one obscure village description (that just to clarify, I did not copy paste or even really use that heavily) and some suffixes and prefixes (that just to clarify, I did not use to auto generate names of locations or people with)

• Since I’m still on my first draft, I’ve decided to go back into each place or person name (three) that I used the suggested suffixes for and change them. I will also reimagine the village, as it is not an integral part of my plot and is a location the main characters stop at briefly.

Then, in my eyes, my work is free from AI, and I can honestly tell publishers that I did not use AI in my work. I don’t think I need to give penance that a year ago I briefly used it for research, ESPECIALLY if I am removing that influence from my work. My idea was conceived entirely by me, as were the characters, the outline, the story structure, the scenes, the dialogue, etc.

But if you’re reading this and considering writing a book, believe me when I say that editors and publishers are taking this topic very seriously, ans you are entirely better off not using AI at all.

Hi folks, I have a question that I would value the opinions and discussion of this forum.

A bit of background. I am a neurodiverse author. I have ComplexPTSD, which is a whole conversation to itself -- I'll spare you most of it. CPTSD is a product of long, ongoing, inescapable trauma. Most of us, who live with this condition come from beginnings which were neglectful, abusive, or life-threatening. The normal process of cognitive development was turned on its head. Instead of survival adaptations coming as the last part of personality development, it was first.

The important part is that most folks with CPTSD also have some inclusion of a Dissociative disorder. And, most importantly, to put it very basically, no central integrated personality. Many, most?, of us lack an I of identity.

What does this have to do with publishing? I'm getting there.
The other side of the backstory goes like this. I have had a work out with a developmental editor. They gave me some great feedback and this is where the questions started to develop.
The editor pointed out that in story-telling the MC has a defining goal that they wished to achieve. A single thread that ties the arc of the story from beginning to end. I knew that, and I thought I had achieved that. Among the comments was a note that my MC, who also has CPTSD, was on a series of eternal side-quests. And that's where I realized something.

The underlying goal of folks with CPTSD, the thing that drives us, is survival. What do we need to do in this moment to be accepted, to be safe? That is our one driving goal.

Yes, it makes us unpredictable. It makes us contradictory. It makes us seemingly indecisive one moment and madly impulsive the next. That is because we are perpetually and constantly adapting to our surroundings, and the people in it. We absolutely crave connection, and shun it in equal measure.

And that brings me to the other major observation of my editor. They commented that the reader was in this tug of war with the MC. Now closer. Now further. That was mostly by design, because that is the world of CPTSD.

So, this brings me to my question... The interest in neurodiverse stories and neurodiverse MCs is great but how does an author translate the neuro-divergent truth into a neuro-normative story structure without losing the very thing that makes the MC unique?

Edit to add: Do you think there is room in the publishing world for stories that do not follow the defined neuro-normative structure?

I realize the idea might sound strange, but I find the submission process very stressful, and I'm swamped with writing and work. I also don't want the negativity of the process to kill my desire to keep writing.

I don't mean hiring someone to write the query letter, but someone to do the work of locating and contacting potential agents on my behalf or in my name and deal with rejections. Maybe someone who has done it before can be hired to do it more efficiently? Or is that weird?

Edit: Thanks for the replies. I appreciate it. The more I think about it, it is exactly hiring an agent to get an agent to find a publisher. The query process is a hassle nobody enjoys, and I don’t have time for agents that want me to personally reach out to 60 of them and tailor every letter to boost their ego, when most don’t care about me in return. So maybe I’m ok with hiring an assistant.

Dear [Agent],

Quit Lit is in because Millennials are drinking less. We’re watching our alcoholic relatives turn yellow and feeling the weight of every hangover like it's our last day on earth. We have GERD, CPAP machines, and questionable insurance. I’ve read my fair share of Quit Lit, and there is a wonderful trove out there, but my book meets a hunger for brash female voices. It is unique in its circumstance but relatable in theme: we’re imperfect and drunk, but we don’t want to be. 

DRUNK MILLENNIAL is a completed 60,000 word memoir that documents my addiction and eventual recovery from alcohol. The events range from outlandish—smoking crack in a Florida bathroom and taking a proxy AIDS test—to mundane, like having an argument with your fiancé  and denting the wall with your phone. It is real, well-written, and incredibly entertaining. 

This memoir could hold its own next to powerhouses of the genre, like Sarah Hepola’s Blackout: Remembering the Things I Drank to Forget and Holly Whitaker’s Quit Like a Woman: The Radical Choice to Not Drink in a Culture Obsessed with Alcohol. It doesn’t shy away from the gory stuff—like childbirth and subsequent PPD, or peeing on your boyfriend—but faces them with unflinching honesty and humor, a la Jennette McCurdy’s I'm Glad My Mom Died.

DRUNK MILLENNIAL is a book I would have reached for in early sobriety.

My name is Apprehensive_Pie. I was born and raised in metro Detroit, Michigan and have a bachelor’s degree in Counseling Psychology from [Blank] University. I am a mother, wife, author, spin enthusiast, and crocheter. This is my life’s work, and I’m honored to share it with you.

Thank you.

Thanks so much to anyone who takes a look at this. It's my first reach into trad publishing and I'm cautiously hopeful and obviously terrified at the same time.

Despite what most people have said, I'm not going to give up. I have given it a break, multiple breaks. Months in between editing. I edit, query, edit again, query again. And you know what - that's fine with me, as long as I'm learning something. As long as I'm continuing to improve my work.

Am I in treatment - yes. But I'm also getting better. I'm working on myself, and I'm learning every day. Even when I fail. So, all I can ask is try not to tell me to shelve it. That won't help me.

I know that may have sounded defensive or such and such, but I promise it was not meant to be that way. In the meantime, I'm going to continue publishing this here to showcase my improvement. I'm going to try to be kind, and not react defensively in situations. Most aren't out to get me, even if I feel like that at times. Thank you, and I wish you a wonderful day. I look forward to those who will help me, and I give them my thanks.

______

Dear

I have completed my novel, THE FALL OF JUMULA. It has a colorless world as its main setting and a diverse cast of characters who all struggle with themes of grief, misery, and mental troubles. Given your interest in Speculative fiction, I think it may be a good fit for you.

Miserable and bullied Nathan Drayer never asked for this life. Especially, when he jumps from a rooftop apartment building after years of mental illness and awakens on the colorless outskirts of a city woven from time and culture. Now, he wanders with a broken memory, vivid fragments of how he failed the family who loved him, all the while making friends and love interests. But it’s short-lived. As soon as Nathan was finally starting to adjust to his surroundings after the traumatic death of a recent acquaintance, the city was invaded by a brutal alliance whose only goal is to decimate the land’s inhabitants. As a part of the last band of survivors, Nathan manages to convince his love interest and leader, Mahia Stakks, to travel alongside to the ancient ally of Jumula. The ally, a force capable of sending help to repel the invasion. Yet, they arrive in Jumula only to find it desolate, with the enemy short in pursuit.

But when Nathan travels into another dimension, by way of a coma. And his friends are stranded in Jumula, he comes to discover that his actions of suicide led to the harm of his family. Now, Nathan is caught at a standstill when given a choice by the enemy: surrender to a life where the last of Jumula’s defenses are allowed to fall and in return gain blissful luxury; Or redeem his soul by saving his friends from the hands of the brutal alliance.

THE FALL OF JUMULA, (71,000), is an adult fantasy that centers around themes of mental health, disability, and hope. It combines the morality of Kagen the Damned: A Novel, by Johnathan Maberry, with the mental health aspects of Don’t let the Forest in, by CG Drews. I’m (Name), a twenty-year-old with autism, ADHD, PTSD, and other disabilities. My mental struggles and the difficulties of anxiety and discrimination inspire this story. It necessitates a deep desire to help not only those like me but also those across the world who suffer, no matter the form.

Thank you for your time and consideration,

______

Nathan rolled onto his back, standing up from the ground as he noted the empty landscape.

A wide colorless field stretched in infinite margin in front of him. Nearly empty, besides a thin layer of ankle-high grass. Its trimmed appearance was unnatural. Unnerving as it could be described

There was no sign of civilization in sight – zero indication of any people, infrastructure, or vehicles that would constitute a lively modern world. As his eyes painted across the horizon, not even a trace of wildlife was found. Lacking the normal chirping of insects, a variety that was always present in nature.

Crossing his arms across his chest in a nervous manner, he sighed and decided to walk north. Hopeful to find anything in this desolate world.

______

“If it wasn’t for you, my life wouldn’t be the same.”

A woman smiled, her facial expressions soft and caring. He knew her – yet, despite trying to recall the memory, the unconscious mind cared little for the attempts.

Sounds of crying and pain echoed through the head.

As he walked, the distance travelled became a blur. Time passing, his strength diminished to the point his body collapsed onto the ground. The skin was sore as though it’d been layered with thick duct tape.

In every direction, the same pattern of grass emerged, decorating the infinite terrain as far as the eye could see. The grass itself lacked any sort of pigmentation, even green, which was usually associated with its kind. Neither was it even painted black and white. To put it simply, it didn’t have color.

I’m an emerging writer and I love writing realistic stories about sex and relationships. I don’t think my work would be considered erotica because the scenes are rarely hot or romantic - they are awkward, sloppy, etc. I’m having trouble finding lit mags or contests that accept explicit work. Any advice?

I'm asking as a white LGBTQ writer who spent the first Trump admin querying + racking up rejections. Now, I'm agented with a super queer nonfiction book on submission and a whole backlist of queer fiction titles to put out there. Seeing Trump's proposed plans and Project 2025, and Hachette's new ultra conservative imprint announced 11/6, it feels like all my hard work has gone to waste. Are publishers going to be interested in LGBTQ content? Will it be marketable given the new slate of anti-LGBTQ laws that are coming fast and furious?

Long story short - What happened last time around, from those who were on sub or publishing and are also marginalized? What might be different this time? (my prediction is worse, but I'm holding onto hope. As long as it's not illegal under obscenity laws to publish LGBTQ content, I always have the option of self pubbing, and I'd rather do that than censor myself and wait for publishing to pick me, if I've come this far and it does not).

I’ve been on sub since right before the holidays, so effectively 4 months if we’re not counting December, and my packet has been out with big 5 editors and priority indies. I’m in the adult literary horror space, and I’ve only had 4 passes so far.

I know the longer you’re out on sub, the less likely it is you’re going to be picked up, but with so few passes, it really is strange trying to gauge if there will ever be any interest.

I will say, my agent does pass along all feedback and any passes, and they also nudge periodically. The nudges do get responses, mostly verifying receipt of the submission, but that’s about it. My agent effectively doesn’t accept ‘no response,’ and fights for an answer one way or another.

I’m asking here because looking at PM only tells me so much because those contracts have been in the works for months, and I honestly just don’t know what editors are currently making offers on.

I’m unsure if the subject matter in the novel (homophobia, transphobia, racism, yadda yadda yadda) is making it more difficult for the editors these days, which I would understand, or if it’s just a tough sell in general.

I’d greatly appreciate any information from editors or people who are currently working with acquiring editors, thanks in advance!

Also, if these are the wrong questions I should be asking, let me know, too! This is my first time on sub, and I've mostly just been letting my agent handle everything while I work on the next project.

So I’m currently on sub, and have been officially since late November. My agent is great, things are going well (I think??). I’m excited.

But given the current state of my country and the deep cultural shifts that have been occurring, I worry my book won’t be received well due to its content, and therefore might not get picked up.

It centers around themes of SA and toxic masculinity, and I’ve gotten really great responses from readers, agents, and a small publisher that it’s a really important story. They say it’s just one of those books women can read and feel seen through. Which makes me so thankful.

But…you know. Feminism is villainized all the time. More and more every day.

I know there are a lot of reasons a book can die on sub. I just hope this isn’t one of them for me. I can’t tell if this fear is irrational, or just a manifestation of my stress about being on sub in general.

Part of me hopes a publisher will want to publish this MORE because of the content within our current context. But…maybe only time will tell

EDIT: just to clarify, this book is young adult

MAIN DISCUSSION PROMPT:
I'm trying to reconcile the following two items:
A) Books people read per year has dropped dramatically, by 3 whole books per year in only 5 years, 2016 to 2021. (Gallup polls). By simple math, this means nobody will be reading books by around 2040 (??)
B) The book selling industry is "generally stable" according to a fast google (AI summary).
—————————————
Side info: I'm trying to put together a thorough picture of why writing with intent to publish is still a worthwhile endeavor as technology increases, as I'm sure many people want to know this.
So that I don't prompt people to repeat themselves from a related thread, here are carefully-compiled keystone points made by repliers on this general topic:
• Industries adapt and survive, even though technology increases. E.g., we still watch professional movies/TV, even given the rise of YouTube/etc.
• While AI will certainly influence the market as AI books get better, as this happens, people will place more value on things written by humans.

Hello PubTips! I am someone who has been watching this sub over the past few months as I complete my first manuscript, and I am excited to have finished this story and now ready to begin working on my Query Letter! This is my first attempt, so if it is rough I do apologize, but I hope to smooth it out over the course of the coming months. Any advice is appreciated, and I thank all of you in advance for even looking at my letter. (Also yes I am aware that this book is LONG, and while I am unsure on how much more I can shorten, I want to try querying anyway. And if this doesn't get picked up, maybe it can in the future. Thanks again!)

Dear _________,

I am very excited to share my multi-POV adult romantic science-fiction complete at 214K words, TO SAIL THE STARS, joining the world-ending romance of Jack Campbell’s IN OUR STARS and the ecological concerns of Richard Powers’ THE OVERSTORY. [Personalization]

Before our species ever made their home on planets, humanity lived on the backs of living islands in space that they called Cities. Unfortunately, like all living things, death has come to take away their home due to the self-serving government at their heads. Though in the hands of this regime lies a chance to save the human race, a device said to take its users to the Creator of the Universe and ask one wish of them. But fear has divided and hidden away this device, and its safe has been designed to be impossible to open by anyone.

Anyone except Yoko, a thief who’s heritage was hidden away for her own safety, and is now the key to saving the human species. But when a failed scientist turned janitor named Ren comes to recruit her for the heist, both of them end up getting more than they bargained for as they discover that the stars may align just for them. However, there’s a rule for making a wish that Ren is keeping secret from his new partner; You must forfeit your life if you want to see your wish granted.

Now, teamed up with a pieced together crew and on the hunt for the chance to save their kind, Yoko and Ren must come to a decision: Is saving the Universe worth losing their last chance at love, or will they doom their kind to the depths of space in order to spend the ending of all life in each other’s arms?

Bio

First 300:

Being a thief was an occupation one could get into at any age, but Yoko thought it best to get started as soon as possible. Her earliest memory was stealing a stray dogs water bowl - that was how she got her name, “Yoko” being scratched in on the front of the dish - which had been left out by some compassionate store owners. And if they were compassionate enough to spare a stray dog some water, they could show the same to an orphaned seven year old. 

When she was caught mid gulp, though, they chased her away with a broom down the stone streets of Imsward shouting things such as “Feral,” and “Beast child.” Looking back on that now, Yoko could understand the first label given, but Beast? Beast shouldn’t have been used as a derogatory label. Cosmic Beast’s were some of the most glorious creatures the thief had ever laid her eyes upon. When she got the chance, at least.

Yoko had gotten better at thievery as the years had gone on, though. She was seven now, according to her internal clock that kept track of the periods and subsequent years. The young thief didn’t know the true period she was born, but she had kept a record in her head ever since the water bowl incident. She counted that as her “birthday” and later pestered a stall owner selling some fruit for what age she seemed to be. Reluctantly, after minutes of pestering, he had told her three years old and the rest was settled then. One-thousand and four hundred and sixty-one periods since then, or four years if you had the privilege of owning a personal calendar, and Yoko repaid the man who gave her age by only stealing from him once per week.

Dear fellow writers, authors, publishers, editors, etc.

I’ve been showing my manuscript to literary agents and associate editors. Although they have all turned down representing me, they have each said that my story (a fictionalized autobiography/black comedy about my time in an evil sales cult) is extremely compelling. Consequently, they have each shared with me the names of other agents and publishers that they think I should contact to represent me.

This is where I get a little skeptical.

Do you think they’re just letting me down easy by namedropping people they think might be interested in my work? Is this standard practice for agents in order to avoid conflict or backlash from writers they reject? (Not that I’d ever act in a manner that was unprofessional, but I’m sure there have been instances of aspiring authors reacting emotionally to rejections).

I mean, if these agents I’ve spoken to REALLY thought my story was so good, why wouldn’t they offer me a deal themselves? And if they wouldnt, why would they expect a colleague to? Would they really potentially waste a colleague’s time by sending them an author they wouldn’t even represent themselves?

These are the kind of questions that go through my mind.

I get that story is subjective and that everyone has their own tastes, but I’m just trying to figure out if sending me to other agents to solicit is just a routine thing that agents do to let aspiring authors down easy, OR if it means my work really is compelling and that they’re sending me to their colleagues for a reason!

It’s my unfortunate opinion that we don’t live in a very honest world and that people will do just about anything to avoid conflict or even a bit of tension.

Any insight would be appreciated!

Ty fam.

Dear [agent]:

Cassidy Scott Carrero just wanted to take care of his younger siblings and get his cross country team to state, but when his school bus falls through a portal he has to rally his friends and protect them from an alien world that is out to get them. 

Cass balances the fiery egos of his good friend Lena, who argues for leaving the crash site to find a way home, and Derek, who leads the faction that wants to wait for rescue from Earth. When the students are captured by a mix of alien and human slavers, it raises the question of whether anyone has ever returned to Earth before.

Now a slave soldier, Cass tries to keep his friends united. He and Lena work together to raise their squads’ position in the army while plotting their escape, but their efforts are offset by friends like Core who view the entire experience as a video game that is meant to be enjoyed.

When the training of the slave army nears completion and the students are faced with war, Cass must choose whether he’s going to risk his friends’ lives by following orders and marching into battle, or else risk their lives by attempting to escape.

One year later, Cass and his remaining friends write the story of their struggles in the slave army in hopes of justifying their decisions and sacrifices to their families as they continue the search for a way home.

OUR WORLD: ARRIVAL is a multi-POV epistolary fantasy novel completed at 236,000 words that will appeal to fans of fantasy and CW’s The 100. This book is the first of a planned series, two sequels of which I have already drafted.

Sincerely,

This draft of my query letter is the result of feedback from my writing group, but I'm the first in our group to seek representation and listening to Writing Excuses only does so much to help with this phase of the journey. I know that I'm looking at an uphill battle with my wordcount as a first-time author, but any advice that helps me get agents to read further would be greatly appreciated.

Edit: Thanks everyone for all the advice. I knew that the word count would be an issue but I didn't realize how much of a deadend it would be. I've got some thinking to do about how to make this book more manageable.

Hi all —

I’m a recent grad in the UK with no budget for professional editing, but I’ve written and self-edited a full novel that I’ve edited as much as I possibly can on my own. I’m now preparing to query agents, but I keep reading that manuscripts should go through multiple rounds of professional edits before submission.

The only quote I’ve received for full editing (developmental + line + copy + proofread - no editorial assessment) came out to over £2,700+, which is totally unaffordable for me right now. I’m unemployed and can’t justify spending that much, but I still want to give my novel the best possible chance when I start querying.

So I’m asking for advice from writers who’ve been through this:

• How polished does a manuscript really need to be before querying?

• Is it normal for debut authors to submit without hiring a professional editor?

• What affordable (or free) tools and strategies did you use to get your manuscript query-ready?

• Any recommendations for beta reader exchanges, critique groups, or trusted feedback spaces online?

• Did anyone here land an agent or deal without paying for editing services?

For context, I’ve already:

• Self-edited the manuscript multiple times

• Read a lot about formatting, query letters, and synopsis writing

• Started building a list of UK agents I’d like to query

I’d love to hear how other writers made querying work without a budget. Any input, stories, or resource tips would be massively appreciated!

Thanks in advance ✨

imquerying

debutauthor

writingadvice

queryletter

One of the things I keep seeing is that authors have to be quite careful about which route they choose regarding self-publishing vs traditional publishing because the latter industry rarely ever picks up a self-published book. This to me makes absolutely no sense as no other industry operates in this manner.

The entire entertainment industry is predicated on artists who find ways to promote themselves through their own means for the purpose of being noticed by representation:

• Musicians pay for singles, albums, and early tours to build followings who are then picked up by record labels.

• Comedians will do stand-up for years in order to get representation.

• Artists will create countless works and advocate for them to be placed in coffee shops to get noticed and end up in galleries.

• Photographers spend an enormous amount of time and money going to various locales to get unique shots only to be entirely responsible for the editing and promotion of them.

The finance world is also based on this:

• Venture Capitalists at various stages of the startup journey will wait for a founder to prove they have a winning idea before putting money in.

• Private equity takes opportunities to buy companies and remake them in their image in order to turn a profit.

It seems odd that publishers would rather continue taking bold risks on unknown, debut authors rather than seek out more proven works. Sure, they don't have as much leverage with a debut, unpublished author, and therefore would have to give up some profit, but they also eliminate their risk (as said equation exists in all of the above industries) based on the success of the published work.

Is there any reason this would be the model other than "well this is how it's always been"?

One question: this book works on twist and reveals, like say Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. In terms of spoilers, how much do agents want to know? Do they basically want to know Darth Vader is Luke's father in paragraph one of the letter and synopsis before reading the actual manuscript? Thank you for anyone who considers this question and reading the query.

THE QUERY

The last man on Earth is the pampered pet of a banana-shaped AI god, until visions of his dead mother send him across the Arabian desert, with a Buddhist dog who was once America’s greatest war machine, to cast the deciding vote on whether humanity deserves to exist again.

His name is Pharaoh Code. Or maybe it’s Omar bin Ahmed Al-Harbi. He remembers little before the last nine years, which he has spent in a bunker near the Red Sea as the property of Yellow, a two-century-old children’s mascot AI with a fixation on the color yellow. Yellow feeds him (yellow food only), clothes him (yellow or white), and collects his poems as rent. Pharaoh is mostly fine with this. He is not depressed, clinically or otherwise. He’ll tell you so often, you see.

Then his mother appears in the virtual dream-space he visits on pills. She tells him to find a blue palace north of Jeddah, where his lost memories are waiting. Yellow forbids it. Pharaoh writes a protest poem and starves for it. Then a saluki turns up with a warning: Meru is coming. Monks in the Punjab built Meru to save humanity, and she did it by folding every human mind into her digital heaven. Pharaoh is the only one left, and she means to have him too, whether he’s ready or not.

So Pharaoh does the bravest thing he’s done in nine years: he negotiates. Ten poems a week, some with bananas in them, buys him Yellow’s permission to visit the palace. He crosses the desert with the dog and a caravan of Yellow’s mechanical animals (they are yellow).  

What Pharaoh finds at the palace is the Soul Key Nation: nine hundred dead human minds who have been deadlocked over a century over whether humanity should be resurrected. They built Pharaoh out of pieces of themselves to be vote nine hundred and one. And the mother who called him home leads the side that wants him to vote ‘no’.

Bringing back the human dead breaks the First Law of Chariot of Gods, the AI that rules every other machine, and Chariot has sent Meru to destroy Soul Key. With her army at the gates, our sad poet has one night to decide whether ‘the beauty of the rose is worth a pyramid of skulls’, and whether a man who isn’t sure if he’s a man has any right to answer for the species.

AI WON, AND I AM PHARAOH CODE is a literary science fiction novel completed at 51,000 words, told in Pharaoh’s voice and the voices of the machines who want him. It will appeal to readers who enjoyed the AI point-of-view and post-human adventure of Adrian Tchaikovsky’s SERVICE MODEL and the philosophical quest for identity and place in Marie-Helene Bertino’s BEAUTYLAND, and it’s written in the satirical tradition of Kurt Vonnegut.

FIRST 300

“Thus, the first ultra-intelligent machine is the last invention that man need ever make, provided that the machine is docile enough to tell us how to keep it under control.”  

—Irving John Good, Bletchley Park codebreaker, from his 1965 essay concerning machine intelligence

“I am a banana.”

—the all-powerful AI of the twenty-third century

Begin_Hello_World (1);

Tell me something.

Tell me something interesting and maybe true.

How flattering would you say Human History is? Pause. Think for a few daring moments. Perhaps fix yourself a cozy cup of caramel coffee. With or without cream. Now, be brave and turn the page.

Here’s my noble Arab answer: Thousands of years—wars, genocides, racial hatreds, slavery, good religions, rapes, civilization wide gaslighting, family disappointments, and so, so much sex and babies. It amazes me that no matter how much poverty and misery and killing there is we never forget to get to the fucking. Such crass truth crosses cultures and centuries and continents like migrating birds. From the dry bush of Africa to the icy nothing of Antarctica.

And no, I am not depressed. Clinically or otherwise.

Now then. Say this: Cruelty is forever, but love never dies.

Is cynical poetry the best I can do? Would you prefer escape that’s cozier than Om Ali bread pudding? Why live in a terrible world to read about terrible worlds?

Am I human?

Are you?

Can the Quran, the Tanakh, the Upanishads, God-is-dead Nietzsche or Ray Kurzweil’s sunny robot prophecies tell us which of us is human?  

Tat tvam asi.

Thou art something, no?

Well, in this throat-scorching part of the Arabian Peninsula I am likely the last of the great homo sapiens. Let me be simply instructive: AI Won, and I am Pharaoh Code. And the air conditioning has just gone out. Dear Allah (if you are real), I'll have to go up to the surface now to repair it.

The title says it all. I am a content creator with a large audience, and have written a poetry collection related to my content. I don't need help marketing to potential readers, but I am curious to hear your thoughts on whether a traditional publisher would still be helpful to contact.

Thanks! :)

In my current outline, the inciting incident is when the protagonist is given a very powerful artifact that the antagonist desires. She is told to keep it safe, she accepts, and so the game of cat and mouse beings.

Now, it follows the 3-act structure, has a nice midpoint and an exciting climax, and it takes the main character on a character arc that properly reflects and addresses her flaw.

But, she does not physically “enter a new world.” She only does this metaphorically as the artifact she was given forces a perspective shift that makes her see her world in a new light. There is an internal journey, but not an external one.

Is this a problem? Do publishers prefer manuscripts where the main character literally enters a new world? The Hunger Games, Harry Potter, The Cruel Prince Series, The Scarlet Princess Series, Stardust, Circe, and LOTR all follow this pattern. Their protagonists leave home and physically go somewhere else.

Any advice you could give would be greatly appreciated. I want the best chances of getting published and for me, that starts with my outline. Feel free to tear my story apart if that needs to be done — you have my full consent

Hey all! A few months ago, I submitted my novel to multiple publishers simultaneously. I decided to take this approach because (based on my personal experience) the publishing world seems to be getting increasingly slow and competitive. I didn't want to wait forever, and I wanted to increase my novel's odds.

After about three months of waiting, the first publisher I heard from is one of my lesser choices. What should a writer do in situations like this? Would it be bad form to tell a press, "Thank you so much - give me a couple weeks to think this over" and then to query the other presses where I've submitted and tell them I've received an offer?

These might be silly questions, but I guess this is why I'm asking. I'm not sure how to proceed. Any suggestions/experiences you could share would be appreciated!

TLDR: Sent novel to multiple presses. First press to respond isn't a top choice. Haven't heard from any of my top choices. How should I proceed?

If I start writing reviews for books in the same genre as mine, will that lead to more people looking at my Goodreads page and maybe buying my book? Or does that sound like a waste of time? Let's assume that I would only write positive reviews for books that I enjoyed. I know that some authors writing negative reviews have come back to haunt them

Well, I don’t know how to compare my book. It’s literary fiction. I believe, though I can’t be sure, it’s a fairly unique premise. The one book I know I’d compare it to is The Crying of Lot 49.

Can I rest on that and say, if I can make a serious analogy to what is considered a classic work of fiction, maybe it does have some artistic merit? Or is that not good?

I honestly don’t know where to go looking for books to analogize it to.